Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship 2016 Students

Emilia ArellanoCommunity Area: Berwyn

Internship Placement: The Kitchen Community and Local Foods

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?Two of my greatest passions are eating well and growing plants. Through the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship program, I am learning how to grow food responsibly in a way that cares for the environment. In the process, I am feeding my mind, body, and soul as I explore a career in urban agriculture.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to work with community organizations, teaching youth and adults about sustainable agriculture. I also hope to start a business of my own, creating and installing edible landscapes and selling produce.

Carol ArteagaCommunity Area: Bucktown

Internship Placement: Chef Rick Bayless's Garden with Bill Shores

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I've been working with plants for five years in the fields of landscaping and floral design. In the summer of 2015, I received a certificate in floral design. My goal is to run my own floral business, cultivating, arranging, designing, and installing both edible and ornamental flowers. I am also interested in the markets of small-scale food production for restaurants.

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I became very interested in the growing urban agriculture movement and in aquaponic growing. I'd taken some accredited online courses through Michigan State University and New Brunswick Community College, but I was searching for a hands-on experience. That search led me to Windy City Harvest, which was mind blowing! It's unlike any other program—richer and more comprehensive, with people who have tremendous knowledge that they readily share.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to successfully launch an urban agribusiness, utilizing aquaponics in some or all of it. My business plan evolves as I analyze market needs and as I learn different techniques. The Apprenticeship is a great place to begin realizing my goals.

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to the Windy City Harvest program because I believe that sustainable urban agriculture is a way to address food and environmental justice. This program is an amazing opportunity to learn about sustainable food production in an urban environment.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to have a career that positively affects my community.

Clinton CoatsCommunity Area: South suburban Chicago

Internship Placement:Windy City Harvest, Legends Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied for Windy City Harvest for my love of nature, sustainable living, healthy food, and just plain love of growing food. The next move is to get paid for doing what I love. I also wanted knowledge and actual training to build my skills and understanding.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?In the future, I would like to mass produce food organically, plus spread knowledge of how to grow. I would like to have a way to make money while giving back to the community. I would like to establish community gardens wherever possible; also to get people to communicate with nature and become more green-minded through education and experience.

Daniel CorralCommunity Area: Aurora

Internship Placement:Windy City Harvest, North Lawndale Youth Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to the Apprenticeship program because for about ten years, I have been wanting to learn more about sustainable farming. The Windy City Harvest program brings together the urban, social, environmental, and economical components of sustainability in a way that is more proper, I feel.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to create programs that address the healing and reconciliation of our relationships with ourselves as individuals, along with our relationships with each other and with the earth. I also hope to create programs that take into account the different components of sustainability and mirror the wholeness of the human condition.

Kris De La TorreCommunity Area: Lincoln Square

Internship Placement: The Talking Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program? I am passionate about growing and sharing healthy food in my community, and I felt that Windy City Harvest would give me a new set of skills to be more successful in my projects.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I want to build a summer program for young women in middle school and high school that focuses on healthy relationships with one another and our bodies, and on skills building.

Dantrell DehartCommunity Area: North Lawndale

Internship Placement:Windy City Harvest, Arturo Velasquez Institute

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?The reason I applied for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship program is to gain the knowledge and skills needed to accelerate the transition to a more equitable, healthy, and sustainable society.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I will use my Windy City Harvest education to start my own incubator plot based around Windy City Harvest graduates.

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied because I learned to love the craft during my stint with the Windy City Harvest Corps program. I truly do think I have found my niche in life.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to take the knowledge that I've obtained, and will obtain, to a new career in agriculture and education.

Migdalia GalarzaCommunity Area: Logan Square

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, Washington Park Youth Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I am interested in working with struggling communities to help strengthen their food security systems through education and cooperative effort.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I want to start a food cooperative in one of the poorest mountain towns in Puerto Rico, where childhood poverty rates exceed 56 percent. This certificate and the experience it represents will give me validity as an informed leader in the area of sustainable urban agriculture and hopefully open the way for me to access resources that may not be available to me otherwise.

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?To gain hands-on experience with organic farming methods in a city setting; specifically composting, vermiculture, sustainable nutrient recycling, microclimatic conditions, and other techniques for growing in a less-than-ideal urban environment.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to apply these acquired skills to help build collective power in my neighborhood.

Antonio HenryCommunity Area: Morgan Park

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, Rodeo Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to further my knowledge with sustainable farming and to obtain work in the field.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to get a job with Gotham Greens and be able to grow with them.

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship to learn organic farming techniques and to gain experience practicing them.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to become a small business owner, with a sustainable agriculture farm. I also hope to combine the knowledge learned here with the knowledge learned in the Chicago Botanic Garden certificate programs to practice the best techniques of plant healthcare.

Sandra McCloudCommunity Area: Roseland/West Pullman

Internship Placement:Windy City Harvest, Legends Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to further my knowledge, to become certified, and to expand my horizons in farming. I also applied because I want to take the Business and Entrepreneurship class. The Apprenticeship is a new beginning and is my road to success. I know I can do this. I am determined. I need to acquire the necessary knowledge. I want to be a knowledgeable farmer who understands the basics accurately. With time, I want to add "grower" to my resumé.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I truly would love to do recruiting. I feel I could handle working in recruiting. I love talking to people. This could also be a way for me to utilize my experience and talk to new recruits at their level. I have hands-on experience, plus my 14-week certification and certificate from the Apprenticeship. I'm also going to take the business course, but I feel like I need to be more of a person who is making things happen. I could be Ms. Joan Hopkins's assistant. I would love that.

Angelique MorenoCommunity Area: Little Village

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, sales coordinator intern

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship program because of my love of edible plants. I want to learn about them from start to finish so that I can be creative with them in the kitchen and be a positive participant in the food system.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I want to start my own business growing edibles in my own sustainable urban farm and teach people with health issues how to live a healthy lifestyle—farm to table.

Lauren OconCommunity Area: Little Village

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, Arturo Velasquez Institute

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to learn how to grow and prosper using sustainable urban agriculture.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I think the possibilities are endless.

Diego Paredes-VillarCommunity Area: Pilsen

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, Arturo Velasquez Institute

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied because I love everything about agriculture and what it stands for. I applied to this program because the community gets involved in this activity; it doesn't matter the culture they belong to.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I want to find a job and create my own family farm at home.

Bruce PickensCommunity Area: Austin

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest and PCC Wellness Community Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I find it quite fascinating to grow your own fruits, vegetables, and plants. Growing your own fruits and vegetables creates a healthy eating lifestyle.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?With the education I get through Windy City Harvest, my desire is to become a horticulturalist and become gainfully employed and to teach others the craft of growing your own flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables while beautifying your community. Also I would like to teach others to live a healthier lifestyle.

Burrell RobinsonCommunity Area: Bronzeville

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, Rodeo Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I honestly applied because I needed work, but soon thereafter I became interested in the horticulture trade.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to enhance my skills and create my own garden, as well as become an incubator owner. I really want to do as much as I can with this.

Raissa SchellerCommunity Area: Humboldt Park

Internship Placement: Chicago FarmWorks

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I was increasingly disturbed by how we treat our environment and the disastrous effects this is having on our planet and ourselves. I was excited to find a unique program like Windy City Harvest that educates with a combination of classroom time, hands-on field experience, and an internship to provide practical work experience.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I'm not sure yet, but I will be exploring some of those possibilities in this Apprenticeship and especially in the internship portion of the class. With a solid foundation in urban agriculture, I'd love to, at the very least, feed my family and friends from my sustainable garden. I also hope to combine this with community outreach and education so I can help others make a change in their lives too.

Michael SmithCommunity Area: Greater Grand Crossing

Internship Placement: Plant Chicago

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?I applied to learn the ins and outs of farming and to be more professional in the farmland.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I'll use my education to further myself inside Windy City Harvest and uplift the upcoming Corps and Apprenticeship students.

Sterling WatsonCommunity Area: Chatham

Internship Placement: Windy City Harvest, Washington Park Youth Farm

Why did you apply for the Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship Program?After farming over the summer, I became interested in the goal of Windy City Harvest, which is a practical step toward making the world a better place.

What do you hope to do with your Windy City Harvest education in the future?I hope to start or join a community garden.